It was with mixed emotions that I entered our First Thanksgiving. Yes, there have been many Thanksgivings before, but this is the first without my mom. What is Thanksgiving without Mom? Fundamentally, it just isn’t right.
We began the day at our house with everyone but Jess spending the night before. Jess & Jeff (with Tidus, their English Bulldog) came & woke everyone up so that we could enjoy our tradition of Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade with Can’t Tell’s. Can’t Tell’s originated in approximately 1996 & have been a tradition ever since. I was in the kitchen on Thanksgiving morning, making Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls for the kids to eat while watching the parade. Colson, who was 3 and ALWAYS wanted to know what was going on, came into the kitchen & asked me what I was making. “I can’t tell.” I said. Colson saw the cinnamon roll dough in the pan & figured it out. He took off like a flash & ran to find his brother & sisters to excitedly tell them “Mommy’s making Can’t Tells!” The name stuck.
After eating the wondrous delicacies (that I burned on the bottom), we played with pups, watched football & cooked. We were to meet everyone else at my dad’s around 3:00 for dinner. Jess & Rachel peeled 15 pounds of potatoes! I think their hands were sore afterwards! My Aunt Pam (Norton) kindly made some pie crusts for us & I filled them with banana cream, peanut butter & pumpkin. We also took some sweet potatoes, my mom’s absolute favorite.
We arrived a little late (Herman time) & were warmly greeted by my dad, who had been looking forward to this day for weeks. It would be the first time since my mom’s Celebration that we all would be together (minus Austin, who is nearing graduation from A school for subs in the Navy). Kristie had the turkeys done & they were perfect. Connie got there later than anyone (very unusual) & brought green bean casserole & her always in demand escalloped corn. Todd & the kids brought bread & Alyssa put together an elaborate, colorful salad. The food was all there.
Everyone stuffed themselves quite sufficiently, and almost all of those 15 pounds of potatoes were gone! Kristie bragged about her amazing gravy (I cannot make gravy. It’s my one weakness.), and I reminded her that without my amazing potatoes, the gravy would be pretty unremarkable. There was a lot of laughter around the table as we ate, and it was a great time.
Following dinner, my dad wanted all of us to meet in the basement. Apparently in the morning he found something my mom had left for him to open on Thanksgiving. In the note, she explained that she wanted all of us to view a video that had been meaningful to her. We all watched a Men’s Fraternity video about eternity. The message addressed our world view in relation to eternity & was very clearly delivered. My mom wanted to make sure that every one of us - daughters, grandsons & granddaughters, sons-in-law - would see her again in Heaven. Following the video, my dad said that it was my mom’s request that he take her final Social Security check & distribute it to everyone in the family. She assumed that this time of year things could be challenging financially & she wanted to give us the last bit of help she had. We all received a $50 bill to use as we needed. For Bob & I, this couldn’t have come at a better time. We didn’t have any money to purchase some medications, or to put gas in the car so that Bob could get to work. God used my mom’s thoughtful generosity to provide for our needs, right when we needed it most. Isn’t that just like God?
Because of the financial burden caused by my health problems & Bob’s stroke, compounded by Bob losing his job at the church & being unemployed until July, we have had to file for bankruptcy. Not only are we filing bankruptcy, but the people with whom we had a contract for the sale of our previous home have informed us that they are unable to purchase the home because of their own catastrophic health expenses. The home we had on County Road 60 is in foreclosure now. Bankruptcy & foreclosure. Unthinkable, but our reality.
In March, 2009, we never would have imagined that we would be where we are today. So much has happened in the past year & a half. So much pain. So much struggle. So much hurt. So much change. So much disappointment. So much loss. So much loneliness, uncertainty & helplessness. But in the midst of our struggles & pain we can truly find reasons to give thanks. We have confidence through Christ Jesus our Lord that we will prevail! Through His victory on the cross over sin & death, we have the right to become sons of God, to be heirs of eternal life, to be given the blessing of having a personal relationship with God! What more do we need? He is all we need.
“For I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” ~ Philippians 4:11-13
Happy Thanksgiving to you all. May you, also, find contentment in the midst of your current life circumstances.
We began the day at our house with everyone but Jess spending the night before. Jess & Jeff (with Tidus, their English Bulldog) came & woke everyone up so that we could enjoy our tradition of Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade with Can’t Tell’s. Can’t Tell’s originated in approximately 1996 & have been a tradition ever since. I was in the kitchen on Thanksgiving morning, making Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls for the kids to eat while watching the parade. Colson, who was 3 and ALWAYS wanted to know what was going on, came into the kitchen & asked me what I was making. “I can’t tell.” I said. Colson saw the cinnamon roll dough in the pan & figured it out. He took off like a flash & ran to find his brother & sisters to excitedly tell them “Mommy’s making Can’t Tells!” The name stuck.
After eating the wondrous delicacies (that I burned on the bottom), we played with pups, watched football & cooked. We were to meet everyone else at my dad’s around 3:00 for dinner. Jess & Rachel peeled 15 pounds of potatoes! I think their hands were sore afterwards! My Aunt Pam (Norton) kindly made some pie crusts for us & I filled them with banana cream, peanut butter & pumpkin. We also took some sweet potatoes, my mom’s absolute favorite.
We arrived a little late (Herman time) & were warmly greeted by my dad, who had been looking forward to this day for weeks. It would be the first time since my mom’s Celebration that we all would be together (minus Austin, who is nearing graduation from A school for subs in the Navy). Kristie had the turkeys done & they were perfect. Connie got there later than anyone (very unusual) & brought green bean casserole & her always in demand escalloped corn. Todd & the kids brought bread & Alyssa put together an elaborate, colorful salad. The food was all there.
Everyone stuffed themselves quite sufficiently, and almost all of those 15 pounds of potatoes were gone! Kristie bragged about her amazing gravy (I cannot make gravy. It’s my one weakness.), and I reminded her that without my amazing potatoes, the gravy would be pretty unremarkable. There was a lot of laughter around the table as we ate, and it was a great time.
Following dinner, my dad wanted all of us to meet in the basement. Apparently in the morning he found something my mom had left for him to open on Thanksgiving. In the note, she explained that she wanted all of us to view a video that had been meaningful to her. We all watched a Men’s Fraternity video about eternity. The message addressed our world view in relation to eternity & was very clearly delivered. My mom wanted to make sure that every one of us - daughters, grandsons & granddaughters, sons-in-law - would see her again in Heaven. Following the video, my dad said that it was my mom’s request that he take her final Social Security check & distribute it to everyone in the family. She assumed that this time of year things could be challenging financially & she wanted to give us the last bit of help she had. We all received a $50 bill to use as we needed. For Bob & I, this couldn’t have come at a better time. We didn’t have any money to purchase some medications, or to put gas in the car so that Bob could get to work. God used my mom’s thoughtful generosity to provide for our needs, right when we needed it most. Isn’t that just like God?
Because of the financial burden caused by my health problems & Bob’s stroke, compounded by Bob losing his job at the church & being unemployed until July, we have had to file for bankruptcy. Not only are we filing bankruptcy, but the people with whom we had a contract for the sale of our previous home have informed us that they are unable to purchase the home because of their own catastrophic health expenses. The home we had on County Road 60 is in foreclosure now. Bankruptcy & foreclosure. Unthinkable, but our reality.
In March, 2009, we never would have imagined that we would be where we are today. So much has happened in the past year & a half. So much pain. So much struggle. So much hurt. So much change. So much disappointment. So much loss. So much loneliness, uncertainty & helplessness. But in the midst of our struggles & pain we can truly find reasons to give thanks. We have confidence through Christ Jesus our Lord that we will prevail! Through His victory on the cross over sin & death, we have the right to become sons of God, to be heirs of eternal life, to be given the blessing of having a personal relationship with God! What more do we need? He is all we need.
“For I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” ~ Philippians 4:11-13
Happy Thanksgiving to you all. May you, also, find contentment in the midst of your current life circumstances.
Joolz
